Wind
by BK Love-ah
Summary: Doc/OC. What if Doc had a girl in his care, orphaned from the Civil War? Winnie Long's life and experiences in Deadwood. Rated M for later chapters...and because it's Deadwood. I DO NOT OWN DEADWOOD, just my one character. Read and review!
1. Welcome

_**Hello, everyone! I hope you like this first chapter!**_

_**DISCLAIMER-**__** I DO NOT OWN "DEADWOOD" OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! Only Winifred "Winnie" Long is mine.**_

_**With that said, enjoy!**_

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_Late Autumn, 1864 – The Civil War_

_**The groans were awful. Dr. Amos Cochran tried in vain to find an unharmed person in the battlefield. The grass was tinged with red. He glanced over as another man was wrapping up a soldier's stump of a leg. Fighting back tears, Amos continued to look around.**_

_** "Someone…please help…"**_

_** Amos froze. He was surprised to hear a very faint voice over at the side of the field, over by the trees. What shocked him the most was that the voice was not that of a man.**_

_** "He's bleeding…please!"**_

_** Amos walked faster as he saw a little girl bent over the body of a soldier. She looked to be about four years old, and her dress was ragged. He got closer, and the girl looked up at him with slight fear.**_

_** "It's alright, I'm a doctor," he said, kneeling down next to the man. He had a bullet would to each leg, as well as one to the stomach.**_

_** "Silly girl," the man mumbled, seemingly oblivious to Amos's presence. "I told you a month ago not to follow me here. It's not safe…you don't need to be seein' me like this…"**_

_** After examining the wound, Amos's heart sank. The wound to the stomach was fatal; the man was slowly bleeding to death. He suddenly felt an unsteady hand grabbing at his arm. The man gripped his wrist and pulled him closer.**_

_** "Hey…who're you?"**_

_** "A doctor, sir…just take it easy…"**_

_** "Nah, don't give me that. I know I'm dyin'." The girl gasped.**_

_** "No…Papa…"**_

_** "It's alright, baby girl," the man whispered. He looked up at Amos and spoke again. "Look…my wife got the pox and died. They'll take my girl away, put her in a home. I…I know of those places, they're…flea-ridden, crawlin' with rats. Jesus Christ, don't let 'em take her."**_

_** Amos looked at the girl, then back at the man.**_

_** "Sir, I don't know if I can do anything…" **_

_**Deep inside, he knew what the man was talking about. An orphanage was no place for a girl like this. He knew that when old enough, she would be bought by some burly drunk and put into a brothel. He'd seen too much to handle that being this child's fate…**_

"_**Please…" the man moaned, "God's blood, please…take care of her."**_

_**The man's eyes began to close, and his grip on Amos's wrist slackened. Before his life was completely gone, Amos gripped his hand.**_

"_**Alright," he whispered. "I promise."**_

_**And with that, the man was gone. **_

"_**Papa…papa, no! Come back!"**_

_**The girl sobbed into her father's chest, his blood getting on her face. Amos felt his heart ache for the child. He hesitantly reached out and touched her shoulder.**_

"_**Honey, he's gone. I'm sorry."**_

_**After a few more seconds, he pulled the child away from the body. He was a bit taken aback when she turned around and wrapped her arms around his middle, still crying. Amos waited for a few awkward moments before slowly putting his arms around her. After a while, he moved his hands to the girl's shoulders and pulled back to look at her face.**_

"_**What's your name, sweetheart?"**_

_**The girl wiped some of her tears away.**_

"_**W-Winnie. Winnie Long." Amos smiled. He went to tell her his own name, but paused. He'd never liked the name Amos, and he really didn't like the sound of other people calling him by that name. He quickly thought of something else to say.**_

"_**I'm Dr. Cochran, but you can call me Doc." **_

_**Winnie looked at him, and after a few moments, she smiled.**_

"_**Pleased to meet you." Doc lightly squeezed Winnie's shoulders in reassurance.**_

"_**Let's lay your father to rest, okay?"**_

_**Winnie paused for a bit, then nodded.**_

"_**Where will I go?"**_

"_**Would you like to come along with me? I promised him that I'd care for you."**_

_**The girl looked at him, searching his eyes. She saw that he was not a bad man, and that he meant every word he said. Winnie nodded.**_

"_**Yes. I'll go with you, Doc."**_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

_March, 1876 – Camp of Deadwood_

The wagon rolled into the long group of wooden buildings under construction. Winnie looked around as the wagon wobbled on the stone road beneath them. Most of the buildings were still being worked on; several were far from done. Only one place really looked like it was completed. There was a cloth sign hanging from the balcony that read, _The Gem Saloon._

Winnie glanced next to her, looking at Doc. Gripping the reigns, he gave her a reassuring smile. After a few more minutes, they turned a corner. This place mainly had tents, but there were a few huts as well.

"Is this where the place is at?" Winnie asked. Doc nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. It's what the letter said."

The wagon stopped in front of a brown log cabin. It was on the small side, and the area around it was mostly bare, with the exception of the building its left side was attached to.

Doc got off the wagon and tied the reigns to a nearby pole. He then turned to Winnie and helped her down.

"Well," he said, "we'd best get started."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

About an hour later, Doc and Winnie had brought most of the gear into the cabin. It was hard for any light to get inside, and the place was a bit dusty. A tall tree log stood in the middle. With the addition of their belongings, the space was much less bare.

Not long afterwards, a knock was heard at the door. Doc went over and answered. It was a man with short curly brown hair and a beard.

"You the new doctor?"

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Johnny, from over at the Gem. My boss wants to see you, if that's alright."

Doc glanced at Winnie and back at Johnny.

"Sure, but…can my ward come with me? I don't wanna leave her here by herself just yet…"

"Oh, sure."

Doc looked at Winnie and nodded.

"Let's go, then."

"Okay," Winnie said with a smile.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The inside of the Gem was bigger than anything Winnie had seen. There were plenty of windows, as well as a bunch of tables, a staircase, a long hallway, and a bar.

"I'll go get Al," Johnny said before walking up the stairs. Doc leaned against the bar. A tall man with a hat and black hair on the long side walked over.

"Care for a drink?" the man asked.

"No, thanks," Doc said. The man nodded, and looked at Winnie.

"You?" She smiled and shook her head.

"None for me, thanks."

"You the new doc, then?" the man asked. Doc nodded.

"Yes. Dr. Cochran."

"Dan Dority." Dan turned to Winnie again. "She your kid?"

"My father died years ago," Winnie said, "and Doc's cared for me since then."

"I see."

Johnny came back down the stairs, followed by another man. He wore an unbuttoned suit jacket, and he had black hair and a mustache. He approached Doc and extended his hand.

"Al Swearengen." Doc shook Al's hand.

"Dr. Cochran."

"Got a first name or what?"

Doc glanced quickly at Winnie, who bit back a giggle.

"Just call me Doc if you want."

"Step right over here, Doc, and we'll talk."

Al led Doc over to one of the tables, while Minnie stayed by the bar.

She looked down the nearby hallway and saw several women. They were all dressed in white; some of them were a bit ragged and revealing. Winnie's eyes widened slightly.

_This must be a brothel!_

She was further startled when a woman suddenly appeared next to her.

"Give me the bottle."

Dan glared slightly before handing the woman a bottle of whiskey. She looked about thirty, maybe a bit younger. Her hair was curly and blonde, and she had a thin figure. After taking a swig from the bottle, she glanced down at Winnie.

"Jesus, how old are _you?_"

"Uh…I'm fifteen."

"That's a bit young for this."

"Huh? For…for what?"

"Are you a new whore or something?"

Winnie gaped for a moment before answering.

"Um…no, I'm…with the doctor."

The woman glanced over at the doctor, and then back at Winnie.

"Christ, you two _fucking?_"

Winnie's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"He said he just takes care of her," Dan interjected. The woman turned to him and smiled sarcastically.

"Why thank you, Dan. The girl can speak for herself, you know!"

Dan turned away.

"He's right," Winnie said. "My parents died when I was young. Doc found me and he's raised me since then."

The woman looked at her for a while and nodded.

"You got a name?"

"Well, my parents called me Winifred, but I prefer Winnie." The woman nodded. "What's your name?"

"Trixie."

Winnie smiled at Trixie. She managed a weak smile, but Winnie saw passed it.

_Poor woman…forced to be a prostitute in order to survive, no wonder she's unhappy. _

Just then, Al and Doc approached the bar again.

"Trixie, you get away from the bottle and get fucking!"

Trixie shot Al a glare before moving away from the bar and approaching the new customers. Al glanced at Winnie.

"Who's this? A new addition?"

"No," Doc said, his voice becoming a bit dangerous. "She just lives with me. She's not a whore, got it?" Al stepped back and put his hands up.

"Jee, take it easy, huh? Just askin' a question." He looked at Winnie and smiled. "Welcome to fuckin' Deadwood, my dear. Come by anytime."

Winnie couldn't help but smile with humor.

"Let's go," Doc muttered, and the two of them walked out.

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_**Well, I hope you've enjoyed this so far! Review and let me know!**_


	2. Holed Up

_**And here's chapter 2! A big thank-you to Anon, my first reviewer =) Enjoy!**_

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Everything was all settled into the cabin. Doc lined up a few medicine bottles onto his desk while Winnie stood in the doorway, looking outside. Everything seemed to be slowly building itself up around them.

"Close the door, Winnie," Doc said. Winnie looked at him and slowly shut the door.

"I was just looking," she said.

"I know, but there's dangerous folks around. Just trying to keep you safe."

Winnie shrugged and nodded.

"Maybe it's different here."

Doc chuckled slightly at this.

"Winnie, you'll find the most bad people in places where there's gold."

"Then why'd we come here?"

Doc stopped what he was doing and slowly turned to face Winnie.

"Sweetheart, I know you didn't want to leave, but circumstances changed. I was out of work, found out they needed a doctor here. I didn't foresee it."

"I know," Winnie said, looking down. "I just don't want to be shut in too much, that's all." Doc looked at her and nodded.

"I understand that. How about we just settle in and see how some people are first?"

"All right," Winnie answered reluctantly.

"Good," Doc said with a smile before turning back to the desk.

"So are you working for that man now?"

"Yeah," Doc answered. "He wants me to check on his prostitutes every week."

"I see," Winnie said, nodding. "Are you the first doctor in camp?"

Doc picked up his case and put in on the ground next to the desk before answering.

"Well, I think there's a couple more floating around the camp, but…according to Swearengen, none of them are medically trained to deal with…"

"Women?" Winnie finished for him, and he nodded.

"Exactly."

Winnie shrugged to herself and sat down on a nearby chair.

_Well…maybe life here won't be too bad…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few weeks went by. Doc had made routine visits to not only the Gem, but also to a few of the miners. Naturally, things had gone a bit wayward and some of the men had injured themselves while working.

One man got a pretty nasty cut on his arm, and had to be brought to the cabin.

"Jesus Christ," he groaned as Doc cleaned the dust from his wound.

"Just hold still," Doc muttered, pressing the wet cloth a bit harder to the cut to get at some dirt.

"Son of a _bitch!_"

The man glanced over in pain, and when he saw Winnie looking at him from her small cot, he instantly sat up and cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't realize there was a lady in the room."

"It's fine," Winnie said with a smile. She glanced at the man's injury as the doctor started to bandage it. "You got that from gold-digging?"

"Sure did, missy. Fell onto a jagged tree stump while crossing the creek on my claim." Winnie nodded understandingly. The man eyed her curiously and spoke to Doc. "She your kid?"

"No," Doc answered, not taking his eyes off the man's wound. "I found her when she was young, been taking care of her since. Maybe you could start telling that to people around the camp so they quit asking about it."

The man raised his eyebrows almost apprehensively as he glanced back over at Winnie.

"What's your name?"

"Winnie, sir."

"I'm Ellsworth. Liking the camp so far?"

"Well, I…I haven't really seen that much of it, to be honest. 'Cause Doc wants me holed up inside at all times."

Ellsworth chuckled at this.

"Probably not a bad idea. There's a lot of sketchy folks around…"

He was cut off as Doc tied the bandage around his arm, causing him to wince slightly.

"There, you should be all set," Doc told Ellsworth. "Change the wrappings regularly, and let me know if it gets infected."

"All right," said Ellsworth, getting up and walking to the door. "Pleased to meet you, Winnie."

Winnie smiled as the door closed. Doc put his kit back on the desk and turned to face the girl.

"What?" she asked.

"Why'd you have to bring that up in front of him?"

"Bring what up?"

Doc walked over to Winnie's cot and sat down.

"I keep telling you…it's for your safety."

Winnie rolled her eyes at this.

"God, Doc."

She got up and started to pace around.

"I keep trying to tell you, but you never listen. My pop would always take me for walks outside, and we'd camp out in the woods, that kind of thing. I'm not used to being inside all the time. You're probably thinking that I would be after almost twelve years, but I'm not. And I never will be!"

Doc sighed deeply before standing up to face Winnie.

"Honey, I understand what you're saying, but…" The girl turned away from him, but he walked up to her and took her hands into his. "Your father asked me to watch over you, with his _dying breath_. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know."

"Hey, tell you what. Maybe we can take a little walk around tomorrow when I get off work. How does that sound?"

Winnie looked at him, and after a few moments, she smiled.

"Okay."

Seeing the happiness in her face, Doc allowed himself to smile, something he rarely ever did anymore.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was nearly dark, but Winnie enjoyed seeing everything that was visible. Many of the buildings were still under construction, but had developed well. A large place called the Grand Central Hotel was finished, and apparently had just opened.

The Gem seemed to be packed, just as it always was. A few of the girls were lounging around outside to attract customers.

Looking at them, Winnie couldn't help but feel sad. They were smiling, but she could see the same cloud of sorrow that she saw in Trixie.

"Come on, let's keep going," Doc muttered, leading her away from the saloon.

After a while, the sun had set, and it was too dark to see much more. They returned to the cabin and got ready for bed.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Winnie smiled as Doc turned to look at her. He nodded in response.

As she settled down and tried to go to sleep, Winnie pondered in slight frustration.

_When's he gonna let me walk around by myself? Do I always need supervision?_

After a while, her eyes grew heavy…

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_**I hope you liked this one. Please review!**_


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